Dart Board & Darts Anatomy

Rec Room Games

Dart and Dart Board Anatomy

Published August 27, 2014 |By John Rost|Share

About the Dart

All darts have four basic parts:

Point

Barrel

Shaft

Dart Flight

Points, or tips, are the portion of the dart which penetrate the dart board and can be either Steel-Tip or Soft-Tip. Steel-Tip points can be used on standard bristle dart boards. Soft-Tip points are used on electronic dart boards.

A variety of point sizes, shapes and lengths can be used for both Steel-Tip and Soft-Tip play. However, never use Steel-Tip points on electronic Soft-Tip dart boards.

Dart Anatomy

The Barrel is the main body of the dart and is made from a wide range of shapes, sizes and material. The barrel is the "grip" portion of the dart.

Barrels are commonly available in a range of weights from 16 grams to 30 grams or more for a variety of throwing styles. A heavier dart overcomes air resistance more efficiently than a lighter dart and provides greater control because it is less susceptible to minor variations in throwing release. But, heavier darts with wide barrel diameters will block more of the dartboards scoring areas. Balance between a dart's weight and diameter is optimal. Tungsten's high-density provides thin diameters with heavier weight. Tungsten darts are superior to other darts for this reason.

Dart Barrel

Shafts and Flights provide aerodynamic and stability qualities to the dart.

Threaded Shafts: Generally, there are three different thread sizes and three different length sizes available for shafts, all easily replaceable. Different combinations of shafts, flights and points will allow an individual to create the best dart for their needs.

Dart Flight Shapes and Uses: The lighter weight the dart, the smaller the dart flight needed to stabilize it when thrown. Smaller flights have less air resistance. Standard flights are typically used for medium weight darts (24-26 gr.) and heavy weight darts (27 gr. and higher). Slim flights are most often used on lightweight darts (14 gr. to 26 gr.). Vortex, Pear and Arrowhead flights are offered for all dart weights.

Dart Shafts and Thread Sizes

Dart Style

Combining grip elements and weight with shape and materials, creates dart "style". Dart performance is the top priority in dart throwing, however dart aesthetics are an integral part of the dart as well. Darts come with an array of grooves, knurls, contours, lengths, diameters and colors. Remember, quality and craftsmanship are indicators of performance.

Dart boards come in many colors and sizes, but all dart boards feature the same scoring layout. The target area is composed of 20 wedge-shaped segments numbered 1 through 20. Each number represents the amount of points that the corresponding segment is worth. The area surrounding the dart board target area is called the outside circle. This is worth zero points.

There are two thin rings of higher scoring segments on the target area as well. The ring that runs along the outside of the target area is worth double points; the ring that runs between the bullseye and the outside ring is worth triple points. The very center circle on the dart board is called the double bullseye, and this is worth 50 points. The outer ring encircling the bullseye is called the single bullseye, and it is worth 25 points.